Cassandra Linnea Greene
History Cassandra Linnea Greene was born in the county of Traverse City, Michigan; the product of an attempted reconciliation from her then soon to be divorced parents. The two had been previously separated for only a few months, her mother staying with family at the time with her young son. Following a party held by mutual friends, neither in their inebriated stated thought of the consequences that may have ensued through one innocent night. A few months thereafter awoke them to that reality. Initially they decided to give their marriage a second attempt with a second child on the way however it quickly became apparent why the separated beforehand. One argument in particular spelled the end, this time permanently. Cassandra, much like her brother, spent much of her early life bounced between both households, and would gradually show indications of distress adjusting to the instability of her family. Both her parents dotted upon her but could not maintain any degree of civilly between them, often berating one another. Having loved both, this became difficult for a young Cassandra, leaving her to seek comfort from her brother. At the age of six, she was enrolled in gymnastics and while she did take an interest in the activity, it was evident quite early this had been thrust upon her; a mother whose wished to live vicariously through her daughter. Because of this, a lot of pressure was placed upon Cassandra at a very young age, prompting numerous acts of defiance. Eventually, she was shipped off to stay with her father for a few months, with him making arrangements to keep her attending the same gymnastics school. Their relationship was quiet to say the least, her father frequently busy or distracted with some of his hobbies, coincidentally technology. A reason she would later come to detest it, at least partially. During this time, her and Alistair spent considerably less time together, she only seeing him when it was their father’s weekend. While their relationship had always been stable, especially when she was quite young, Cass began to harbor a degree of resentment toward him. After all, she was sent away by their mother and he could relate to their father much more than she ever could. This only led to her further destructive tendencies, although she did some to reign herself in somewhat, if only because she was allowed to destroy whatever her father ruined with his attempts to fix everything, which to say, was a lot. She kept her feelings toward Alistair largely hidden, a feigned smile here or there. She loved him, that never changed but he was representing what she wanted and neither parent was willing to give. As she entered her teenage years, Cass periodically spent more time at her mother’s again, although it remained a strained relationship. This became exacerbated further down the road, coincidentally with her gymnastics being the catalyst once more. Despite their frequent arguments on the subject, Cassandra had excelled, already having won numerous medals in regional competitions. Such led to her being a front-runner to compete in the upcoming 2008 Olympics at only seventeen. The additionally pressure saw Cassandra overexert herself, primarily due to both her own competitive nature but outside pressure played a significant role. Unfortunately, a freak accident after attempting a difficult stunt permanently derail these aspiration when it was determined the shoulder injury would not only prevent her from competing but was speculated to end her gymnastics career for the foreseeable future. Utterly devastated, she initially found blame in her mother, lashing out in frustration far more often than previous. While she did acknowledge her own stubbornness for the incident, it did little to pad an already fragile relationship. Cassandra soon fell into a downward spiral, worrying less with school and abandoning all her other extracurricular activities entirely. Beginning to associate with the wrong crowd, she became even more distant as the months went on, caught instead partying, often stumbling home drunk, if she bothered to come home at all. Alistair attempted to reconcile with her while home from college however his influence was temporary at best, ineffective otherwise and she fell into the habits that had lasted nearly a year. What would cause an abrupt change to her spiral was the death of her best friend, who drowned one night on their way home. The two had been crossing along the bridge, hardly able to stand and Natalie slipped. In her inebriated state, Cassandra could do nothing to help her. Nevertheless, it was the summer wakeup call she needed to readjust her life. Visually shaken, her father decided giving her a change of scenery and pulling her away from the crowd she hung around would further help keep her from falling back into old habits. She spent time in New York, staying with Alistair prior to attending college. The fresh start proved a wise decision indeed, focusing on her studies once again. While she did continue to party, her wild nights were far less frequent and better still she seemed to warm up to Alistair, with the two becoming much closer than they had been prior. At the age of twenty four, Cassandra decided she was going to make a trip to Europe, a desire she had long to pursue and after working part time since arriving in New York, had the funds saved up to do so. It did help her parents contributed, a reward for her setting back on the proper tract. Alistair was intending to join her however, when a chance job opportunity came up, he opted to stay behind. Her return flight was scheduled for sometime in the last week of December, just before Christmas. How different things would turn out... As the Shift occurred, Cassandra became among the victims of an unknown splinter group, whose source itself was ambiguous. She was abducted within a month, having suffered severe wounds due to the crumbling debris and hospitalized every since. Despite her condition, it was determined she possessed magic, thus attracting attention for an experimentation procedure. As a result, she was quietly pronounced dead, thus concealing her abduction. The group further operated through subsidiaries branches, as per instructed to maintain complete secrecy, just as they had done with everyone else. Cassandra would never learn of what was done, or that she teetered on the brink of death. Their identities were never revealed and when reference to the institute was warranted, they simply used the colloquially “Black Ops” or BPS. Tests were conducted to amalgamate the demonic mana into her body, with subsequent blood fusion administrated. When results showed immediate progress, Cassandra was classified with the code name “Adept,” becoming the focal point of their experimentation. Procedures were inflicted upon others, to determine their effect and if deemed beneficial, were later performed on Cassandra. While there here been numerous others to undergo a similar procedure, neither had any lived or progressed to the extent Cassandra had, further leading to any perceivable hazardous experimentation reserved toward others. Torture was less frequent despite noticeable results. This was partially due to them wanting her to remain mental stable, relatively speaking, otherwise her role as a soldier could have proven detrimental; the other being her instructor had motives all his own and would prevent such measure whenever possible. Therefore, she was instead kept sedated, in particular when hostile responses and resistance became frequent. Her semi-lucid states of mind made prior recollection of her life difficult. Places, names and people she had known, yet not seen it what felt like forever slipped in and out of focus, more so as she was conditioned to harbor complete indifference, told her memories were fabrications, dreams that did not exist and such thoughts compromised the objective. She remained reliant, defiant even when able; she was receptive of the rewards when she accepted these “truths” however disingenuous. In time, these tactics deviated to less debilitating narcotics to focus her on combat training, with the process dying down further when advised her background made for an ideal informant, given her apparent quick adaptability. These methods were continued for nearly a year, with her progress noted as exceptional. She had already exhibited heightened abilities and her mana far exceeded other magus. What drew concerns however was the unstable nature it displayed whilst developing. When overtly stressed the mana seemed to engulf her entirely, exploding in a manner both unprecedented and disconcerting. Examination led to the discovery the procedures manifested an actual demon, created through the reproductive tendencies Cassandra’s unique fusion had rendered. Eventually, during yet another stress inducing procedure, Cassandra relapsed, allowing the demon a moment’s opportunity to garner control. Having underestimated the extent her abilities had grown, nothing could stop her, as she slaughtered nearly everyone in sight in a demonic fury, be they other victims or those who facilitated a yearlong torture. Cassandra was either incapable or unconcerned with anything but her own escape, thus anyone in her way was a threat. Unknowingly, this entire event had been orchestrated by Darius, the instructor whose name she never knew. Having trained her all this time, he was well aware how volatile her state of being was, yet neglected to inform anyone, facilitating another agenda. Alas, amidst the chaos, he lost sight of her. Meanwhile, when rumors did spread, the OU opted to speak, declaring the subsidiary a rogue enterprise, with it unaware of the proceedings rendered. Officially, it was shut down after further investigation and all documentation, what little had been kept, was expunged. Subsequent measures were taken to downplay what had occurred, although speculation cited those involved were behind this in hopes of distancing involvement. In truth, no one truly knew and those who may have were not intending to explore any deeper. Cassandra awoke, days later, coincidentally in a hospital with little recollection of her ordeal. In fact, her memory was such a blur. She mistakenly gave her middle name, Linnea, when inquired. Eventually, she found her way back to New York, having made the acquaintance of a dignitary who offered to help, were she willing to act as his escort. Thus, began her life of promiscuity, although their ‘partnership’ was short-lived, Cass putting an end to it unintentionally when her powers got the better of her. Nevertheless, she continued the role upon arriving, perceiving it an easy way to garner money. Her instincts led her to make use of the abilities she learned, in particular, information. People were always so easily eager to share with promises offered, or even just teased. Incidentally, she eventually became entangled, first with the media mogul Gold Media, and later with the notorious Club Republica. In both instances, she acted in a freelance role, fashioning herself a model, and dancer respectively, vanishing on a whim unless contracted otherwise. For reasons unknown, this felt at ease to her, gather information, being privy to secrets even wives would not know. While she may make herself scarce, but if one thing is certain, she is quite the ‘informant;’ although, few know more about her than the name “Linnea.” Personality Cassandra is the embodiment of a tease, in every sense of the word. She is elusive and promiscuous, with little qualm using sex appeal and a feigned charm to get her way. Often this works in parallel were her subtle, fly by night, nature. One instant she will appear everywhere, plain as day, yet the next simply have disappeared. Her various aliases over the past several months, some she can barely recall, have made her essentially a living ghost. Perhaps, her most noteworthy characteristic is her penchant for sarcasm. Cass is confident, near to the point of arrogance and seemingly has a witty retort resting on her tongue for just about anything. She exhibits a strong sense of indifference and emotional detachment. While these traits have long lingered from early adolescence, they have become far more pronounced since her captivity and consequential torment. She will frequently distance herself from people, who attempt to display overt affection above a superficial level, or simply rebuff their approach and become defiant or agitated. For this reason, she is severely distrusting, presuming everyone wants something and any genuine expression of friendship bewilders and confuses her. Despite her outwardly appearance, that of an independent and laid-back woman, she is terribly insecure, refusing to display any sense of vulnerability, lest she open herself to the possible heart to follow. Her perspective of life is extremely pragmatic, bordering close to pessimistic on some occasions. She will reject outright optimism as foolhardy and blind, yet carries a somewhat ironic belief those who do so are running from reality, never seeming to connect the dots herself. Due to these shortcomings, Cassandra wears feminine outfits sporadically, associating dresses and flowery garments to that of leaving oneself vulnerable. Although her flaky disposition can leave something to be desired, Cassandra is highly intelligent and meticulous. Evidently, primarily in her informant role, gathering information with little effort and supplying it to those with who offer the highest price. How or why she does this, are like many things, a closely kept secret. Appearance Cassandra is rather petite standing at a mere five foot two and weighing approximately one hundred pounds, the former being a fact much to her chagrin growing up. Despite her diminutive stature, she harbors an athletically toned body, with an hourglass definition derived from over fifteen years of gymnastics physically demanding activities. Her complexion is faux tan variety; light yet only slight, with soft facial features and vivid hazel eyes. All servicing to belie the hardened expression she prefers to demonstrate. Her chocolate brown curls reach to the midst of her back, although she is prone to change this style, going so far as to cut it short to display a more rigid appearance. Her attire consists heavily of clothing that deflects any feminine qualities, yet she has no qualm wearing things that exploit her features, such as tight fitting jeans or risqué tops, lacking any notion of modesty. Dresses are a distinct rarity, worn only when necessary. Even then, she will attempt to refrain whenever possible, preferring to wear less were this the only alternative. Otherwise, her outfits consist of a variety of darker colors, entertaining blacks and greys and she tends to fancy jackets of some sort regardless of the weather. Abilities Cassandra is an adept gymnast, having spent over fifteen years in the field and winning numerous accolades prior to her accomplishments leading to her being scouted for the 2008 Olympics, even cited a potential favorite, until a freak accident prevented her from entering the competition. It has been years since she even attempted another stunt, opting to distance herself from the activity entirely. She subsequently took an interest in dancing due, in part, to its similarity, although she did so primarily to keep herself busy. Coincidentally, both traits have seen greater use since her tenure at Club Republica, occasionally mixing the two with a slight risqué undertone. Suffice it to say, she knows her audience. Due to her captivity, Cassandra has since become well versed in numerous combative training, in particular aikido, jujitsu and basic military hand-to-hand. Her proficient with firearms since her youth has also greatly improved, making her a deadly shot. Her reflexes and instincts have become highly tuned and is able to render herself inconspicuous at a moment’s notice. Since working as an informant, or rather, be trained to do so, Cassandra has exhibited much greater knowledge of technology, although this mostly pertains to funneling information.